Going Home
by AmericanBeautyAmericanPsycho
Summary: The Argo II and its seven passengers are on their way back to Long Island after narrowly defeating Gaia. They're expecting a peaceful return trip, but when has anything ever gone their way? Find out what happens to the Heroes of Olympus on their journey home. Written as if Blood of Olympus never happened.
1. Chapter One: Percy

Percy felt content. The sun's warm rays let his dozing mind fall into a fuzzy stupor, and the breeze that occasionally tickled his face kept him comfortable. He could feel the occasional stray rough wave crash against the hull of the _Argo II_, but the ship's rocking only lulled him further into his drowsy state. The sounds of his friends chattering below him from where he lay perched on top of the quarterdeck, better known as Leo's command station, were becoming hazier as he drifted off. _I hope I don't wake up with a mustache drawn on my face, _he thought distantly as he folded his arms behind his head into a makeshift pillow.

"PERSEUS JACKSON!"

_Uh oh._

The demigod could barely contain his smirk as he sat up and leaned towards the edge of the quarterdeck to look down. Below him stood Annabeth, her calculating stormy eyes glaring up at him.

"Yes?" he asked innocently as he flipped over to give her a cheeky grin from his now upside-down point of view.

"I wouldn't push it, Jackson." Jason advised from where he was sitting with Hazel and Leo. "She's already pulled out your full name, and you might damage some important brain cells from sitting like that for too long."

"And I'm not cleaning up whatever mess you might make from falling and splatting on the deck!" grumbled Leo. Percy stuck his tongue out at both of them, but then returned his attention to Annabeth.

"You haven't seen the drachma I had on my bedside table, have you?" she asked pointlessly, clearly already knowing the answer. "I was going to send Coach Hedge and Nico an Iris message back at camp."

"I may know the location of the missing coin in question," he answers mysteriously.

"Oh, you _may_?" she demands as she reaches to unsheathe the white dragon-bone sword Damasen had given to her that's tied around her waist. "Don't make me come up there and get it from you!"

"All right!" he concedes with a dramatic sigh and a smile as he turns and sits up. "If you insist on ruining my fun," he continues as he reaches for the gold coin hidden in his pocket, "then I must admit defeat and give you your—oops!" No sooner than the words had escaped his mouth did the drachma slip from his pocket, tumble to the deck, and roll into the churning water below with a quiet _plop. _Percy watched the ripples the coin's impact had created fade away while ignoring Piper's call of, "You're gonna get it now!" from where she and Frank stood with Festus the figurehead. He sheepishly turned his gaze back to Annabeth, whose face was expressionless.

"You might want to go get that before it sinks any further," she commented indifferently, but a mischievous smile was tugging at her lips. Percy sent her a bold smirk as he stood and walked to the edge of the quarterdeck.

"Back in a flash!" he said with a wave. In one quick motion Percy dived into the murky, heaving water.

The bubbles from his jump into the sea tickled his nose as he sank. Eyes scanning his dim surroundings for the lost coin, Percy was happy to note that even though he was perfectly dry, the water's cool embrace refreshed his sun-kissed skin. He noticed that the _Argo II'_s speed had lessened dramatically as he started to swim down in search of the drachma, and he sent a quick mental thank-you to Leo for his consideration.

As he plunged, however, Percy was startled to realize that there was a very strange lack of sea creatures in the area. _In fact,_ he thought, now troubled, _I haven't heard even a single shark today. _He continued his journey, now acting considerably more cautious, but tried to brush his anxiousness off as leftover edginess from the past week. They had, of course, just defeated Gaia—Percy would be concerned if he _wasn't_ a bit tense. He had hoped that the trip back to Long Island would be relatively monster-free, but the silent waters around him suggested otherwise.

A few uneventful minutes of hunting passed before Percy's spirits brightened considerably when he spotted a glint of gold directly below him. He immediately swam down to inspect it, and as he drew closer he could clearly see that the lost drachma had slipped into a small crevice between two stones. It was a wonder that he had spotted the coin at all; hundreds and hundreds of variegated blue rock slabs lined the floor of the area around it.

After reaching the coin, Percy flicked his wrist to direct water into the narrow gap that the coin had slid between to spread the stones apart, but they didn't budge. _What? _He reached forward to try and grab the drachma himself, but his hand was simply too big, so instead he opted for manually pushing the rocks aside. At first nothing happened, but the demigod would not be defeated so easily. Percy shoved even harder, and, with a great _crack,_ one of the slab's tops broke off. The dislodged piece tumbled loudly into a few other rocks before settling, leaving its surprisingly sharp and jagged remaining half looking decrepit amongst the other intact slabs.

Pleased with his work, Percy seized the lost coin and examined it for scratches. _Losing it is one thing, but Annabeth would never let me live it down if I brought it back damaged,_ he thought with a fond smile. Finding none, he began to swim back up to the surface, but froze when the ground beneath him began to rumble. Percy had only a split second to glance down at the rock field below and watch as the sand around started to shift before something large and heavy bowled into him and he knew no more.

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Very random update, I know, but better late than never, I guess? For the loyal readers who have patiently waited for the next chapter of_ Going Home: _you're amazing! I hope new readers can find something to enjoy in this updated chapter as well.


	2. Chapter Two: Leo

Leo was bored. Like, really bored. Drifting between the groups of chatting demigods who were satisfied to spend their return trips to the states lying about was _dull. _Sure, Leo loved his little family, but he needed _action,_ and gossiping simply didn't allow his busy mind to unwind the way that tinkering with a piece of work did. Unfortunately, he had nothing to do until the _Argo II _landed in New York. His ship was in perfect condition; the damage that it had suffered having already been repaired; and his two projects—rebuilding Festus' body and finding Calypso—required more room than the boat provided. So, he was stuck. Leo took this time to study his friends from where he was seated next to the starboard railing.

Jason and Piper had escaped to the crow's nest, now only their smiling faces visible from inside the basket, to do gods knew what. Piper's powerful charmspeak and her creativeness had finally allowed her to believe what everyone else already knew: that she was a valuable asset to their team and never a burden. Her wit, coupled with Jason's confidence in battle, made the pair a dangerous force to be reckoned with.

Leo sometimes imagined what it would be like if he were a son of Zeus or Jupiter; would he be as courageous and powerful as Thalia or Jason? In the end, however, Leo would never want to change to be just like them—he loved his skills, his quirky, quick mind, and had even accepted his faults. That didn't mean he couldn't admire his friends' attributes, though.

His eyes drifted to where Frank and Hazel had sprawled out on a blanket together, presumably cloud-watching, though to him it looked like Frank was more focused on Hazel-watching. Leo snorted a bit too loudly when he caught a glimpse of Frank's sick puppy-love face, but disguised it as a cough when said teen turned his gaze to give him a good-natured scowl. All was forgotten when Hazel noticed their little exchanged and bumped shoulders with Frank; just like that his attention was back to the girl beside him.

Leo could understand Frank's dopiness. Whenever Calypso crossed his mind he was sure the others could practically see cartoon hearts float around him. He missed her terribly and ached to speed up their journey back to Long Island, but had, out of politeness, slowed the _Argo II_ down a few knots in consideration for Percy. He hoped that he would hurry to retrieve Annabeth's drachma so that they could get a move on.

_Speaking of which…_Leo noticed movement in his peripheral vision, and turned to see Annabeth emerging from below deck. She spotted him sitting beside the railing and made her way towards him. As she plopped down next to him, Leo noticed that her mouth was drawn into a tight frown.

"Hey," he said, trying to map her mood.

"Hi." _Well, that wasn't helpful at all._

"Aquaman hasn't resurfaced yet?"

"Ah, no." Leo was happy to note that his little gibe had made her grin a bit, but it disappeared as quickly as it had manifested.

"It's a beautiful day," he rambled, trying to reassure her, "he must be taking his time to enjoy the weather. Or, rather, the water—t-the waves? The…fish? The—"

"Thanks, Leo," Annabeth interrupted, but now a genuine smile graced her face. She didn't elaborate, but Leo knew that she had guessed what he was trying to do.

"Anytime—hey, up for a board game? If I team up with everyone else we might actually have a chance of beating you." She laughed, and her eyes flashed in determination at the prospect of a challenge.

"Count me in." Leo got to his feet and reached down to help Annabeth up. As she grasped his hand, he happened to glance over the railing into the sea and spotted a head of black hair emerge from beneath the rippling water.

"Look, there he is now! I'm not sure how much help he'll be to our game team, so you can have him on yours." As she stood and peered over the railing as well, Leo congratulated himself on cheering her up, even if it was Percy's return that did the final trick. He was just turning to go scare Jason and Piper down from the crow's nest when Annabeth suddenly gave an outraged shout.

"Annabeth?" he question, alarmed by her outburst. "Annabeth, what's wrong?" She didn't answer, but instead merely pointed a shaky finger over the rail. Leo rushed back to her side to squint down into the water. _What in the world…? _There was Percy, but something was obviously wrong—instead of seeing him sporting a smug face holding up the lost drachma like he had suspected he would, the demigod appeared to be barely conscious, and blood was running down his scalp into his eye, obscuring his vision. Leo was also dimly aware of the fact that Percy was wet, which he found very concerning, considering the fact that he was a son of Poseidon and usually avoided getting soaked.

The sea rose around Percy as he weakly raised his arms in an attempt to propel himself onto the ship, but as Leo and Annabeth watched, the water to his left suddenly began to seethe. A giant, powerful spout abruptly shot upwards mere feet from Percy, causing him to lose his concentration. He crashed back down, submerging underneath the waves as the water from the spurt rained harmlessly down onto the deck.

"Percy!" Annabeth cried, and if Leo saw that her eyes were shining with unshed tears he didn't comment on it. He knew that Percy and Annabeth were close, but he also understood that Tartarus had made them practically inseparable. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder; she glanced at him, and Leo was proud to glimpse the steely doggedness that he respected so much blazing in her fierce stormy eyes.

Percy soon resurfaced and looked up towards them on the deck, but his eyes were unfocused; it appeared as if he were looking right through them. The red on his face, which Leo assumed the water had washed away, was rolling down his face once again and showed no signs of slowing. Leo tried to ignore the way the water had begun to stir viciously a few hundred yards away from the ship and how it was clearly spreading closer.

"Listen," Annabeth practically whispered. Leo refocused his attention on Percy and noticed that his friend had cupped his hands around his mouth and was trying to say something to them.

"Did you hear what he said?" Leo asked Annabeth, hoping that her ears were better than his own.

"No," she murmured faintly, her face full of concentration and poorly concealed worry. She leaned farther over the railing and pointed to her ear while shaking her head, indicating to Percy that they couldn't hear him. He put his hands around his mouth once more, took a deep breath, and tried again.

_"GET DOWN ON THE DECK!"_

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Two chapter revisions in two days—crazy, right? Thanks for the support:)


	3. Chapter Three: Annabeth

**Hi everyone :D I'm so happy that you guys like "Going Home"! Thanks for the reviews, and please keep them coming! Chapter Four should be posted within the next couple of days, but Chapter Five is going to take a bit longer, so here's an extra-long chapter. I hope you like it! :)**

**Also, I've been thinking about starting another fanfiction...any ideas? I could do another HoO, or maybe a PJO. Or I could do a completely different book/TV series! I would love any suggestions! :)**

**Enough blabbering; here's Chapter Three!**

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**Chapter Three: Annabeth**

No sooner than Percy's warning had reached Annabeth's ears did Leo take action. He immediately spun around, grabbed Annabeth's shocked form, and pulled her down to the deck while shouting at Frank and Hazel to do the same. They obliged and quickly flattened themselves, Frank putting his arm over Hazel's back and as they both tucked their heads down.

Out of the corner of her eye Annabeth saw Jason fly out of the crows nest with Piper, but she lost sight of them when the _Argo II_ started to tip. It was slow at first; Annabeth and Leo's side rose into the air while Frank and Hazel's sank towards the sea. Annabeth could hear something tumbling across the deck, and spotted the Monopoly pieces slipping away. The two demigods hastily grabbed the railing and held on for dear life, but the ship groaned and paused in its flipping. It was silent.

Then, with a sudden flourish, everything flew past Annabeth as she and Leo rocketed upwards. Annabeth heard Hazel scream, but couldn't see because she had already closed her eyes tightly to avoid nausea. She prayed that Frank had turned into a large bird or sea creature so the two of them didn't drown.

Water rushed into the lower side of the _Argo II,_ and soon the whole ship was being tugged down. Annabeth and Leo were hanging with their feet dangling in the air, pointed straight towards the churning sea below. Annabeth squinted her eyes open to look down and saw a pair of giant fangs clutching the railing, pulling the _Argo II_ towards the water. She then looked up towards Leo, whose face was full of horror.

"If it keeps tipping, we have to jump!" Annabeth called over the sound of rushing water.

"Won't we drown?" Leo shouted back, but he readjusted his grip nonetheless. His nose was on fire, which slightly concerned Annabeth.

"Hopefully not!" Annabeth answered grimly. The _Argo II_ gave another lurch, and the ship started racing down towards the swirling water below.

Everything was happening so fast. The warship, on a normal day, got attacked at _least_ a dozen times. That was nothing new, and between the seven of them, a metal fire-breathing dragon, and a craft rigged with catapults, Greek fire, and enough defenses to last a lifetime, they were set. Whatever monsters were trying to bombard them could be taken care of without so much as batted eyelash. But this? This…this was new.

"Let go, let go!" Annabeth screamed, but found that she couldn't. With a quick glance towards Leo she saw that his hands were still holding on tightly, fear making them too stiff to let go.

Annabeth found it slightly ironic that she, the girlfriend of the sea god's son, would die underwater. She thought of Percy; he was probably somewhere in the water below, too injured to help them. She hoped with all of her heart that he survived this.

Suddenly all of the moments they'd shared together were racing through Annabeth's mind like a slide-reel: meeting at Camp Half-Blood, going on their first quest to recover Zeus's lightning bolt, retrieving the Golden Fleece, rescuing Artemis, traveling through the Labyrinth, stopping Kronos, that underwater kiss…then Percy went missing, and Annabeth could clearly remember the pain and worry she had felt for those long, long months, but it all washed away when she and the others had found him again in the Roman camp. Then they, along with her new friends, had journeyed across the globe, even to Tartarus and back, together.

Annabeth didn't want all of their efforts to be for nothing, so, with a sudden burst of fury, she spun around and faced the water, her face hot with her anger. Her hands were still clutching the railing, but she still felt a bit better. Leo soon followed her actions so they were both facing the rapidly approaching sea, but now smoke was curling out of his ears, and his hair was ablaze; from nerves, Annabeth guessed. At the last possible moment Annabeth and Leo glanced at each other, and, with grim faces, took deep breaths.

As they plunged down into the cold, murky water, time seemed to slow down to an agonizing pace. They finally let go of the railing and struggled, but fighting against the forcible pull the sinking _Argo II_ made was useless. A large, dark, swirling shape loomed in front of them that definitely didn't look friendly, but Annabeth couldn't see much in her bleak surroundings. The water started to chill as she and Leo sank deeper. Annabeth was angry with herself for not thinking of a plan earlier and letting grief consume her. As a daughter of Athena she _always_ had a strategy, and here she was, failing at the only thing she was good at.

_Great lot of good I did, _she thought bitterly. Her lungs were tight, begging and pleading for oxygen, and her vision started to dim. She gave a few pitiful kicks before finally stilling and letting the gloomy shadows overcome her.

…...

Time sped up again as Annabeth suddenly realized that she could breathe again, and she fell into a coughing fit, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. In her struggling she also felt that she was perfectly dry, and that she could hear Leo gasping next to her. After calming down Annabeth opened her eyes to find that she and Leo were kneeling in a large air bubble, which was slowly floating towards the surface. After a few moments Leo stopped coughing and also looked up, his eyes wide with shock.

"How…?" he started.

"I don't know," Annabeth said, shaking her head in amazement. She gently touched the bubble with her hand and it simply bounced like a balloon.

"Weird," she muttered quietly. They were both quiet for a few moments; too busy peering out of the bubble and into the water, but it was like trying to look through a foggy window.

"What's that?" Leo asked after they had risen closer to the surface. Annabeth turned and saw, aided by surface light, the _Argo II_. But instead of seeing a broken, disheveled shape sinking, she saw the ship rising majestically in the water. It was surrounded by a bubble similar to theirs, but enlarged to fit around the ship, keeping it ideally dry.

Next to the ship Annabeth saw the dark shape from earlier, but it now had a form. It was a monster: a long, dark, serpent. Annabeth had, of course, seen serpents, drakons, snakes, and practically anything else that slithered before, but this thing was different. It was by far the largest monster she had ever seen, which was saying something. Thicker than a building, and Annabeth couldn't even tell how long it was, for its middle sank down so deep that she couldn't see the end. The thing was encrusted in scales that flashed in the water, and sharp spikes traveled down its spine to its tail, which was sticking up, ending in a dangerous-looking barb. Spines fanned in the water around its face, similar to a lionfish's fins; that wiggled around, as if trying to escape the serpent. The dozens of razor-edged teeth that lined its mouth were brilliantly white and taller than Annabeth was, and its head was easily half the size of the _Argo II_. The serpent's eyes glowed an evil, intelligent red as it tried to sink its fangs into the ship's magical bubble.

"Oh my gods," Annabeth whispered, terror coursing through her veins like a toxin. Gaia, the earth herself, almost came in second place as the scariest-thing-she-had-seen next to this creature. Even her memories of Tartarus were dimmed by the serpent's horribleness. She _almost _wished for spiders instead of this thing. Almost.

"Hey!" Leo cried angrily, pressing his hands against the bubble. "That's my ship!" The monster took no notice of him and continued to attack the magical bubble. It flickered weakly occasionally, but stayed intact, working hard to keep the ship protected.

Annabeth suddenly noticed something swimming towards them, and as it got closer, realized that it was a large tiger shark.

"Leo," Annabeth said nervously as she pointed towards the shark. He turned and yelped in surprise. The shark was coming at them with alarming speed.

"It can't get through this bubble, can it?" Leo asked fearfully, grabbing a screwdriver out of his magical tool belt. Annabeth didn't answer, but instead shifted away from the approaching creature. She didn't really think that a screwdriver was their best defense against a shark.

The giant shark hit their bubble and slid through without letting any water get in. Leo shrieked, but once the shark was completely inside, it quickly shifted form, and they were looking at Frank.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked, looking them over. "Leo, are you alright? I heard you scream."

"Just fine," he muttered while putting his tool away, a blush slowly creeping its way onto his face.

"What's happening out there?" Annabeth asked, indicating the battle between the serpent and the _Argo II'_s bubble. Frank glanced back towards the ship.

"You can't really see much from here," he started, "but it's Percy-"

"Percy?" Annabeth interjected. "Is he okay? And where's everyone else?"

"Everyone's fine," Frank reassured, "well, mostly at least-"

"Mostly?" Annabeth asked sharply. "What-"

"Annabeth, let the man talk!" Leo interrupted. Annabeth blinked, surprised.

"Sorry Frank," she said anxiously. "I'm just really worried."

"It's okay," Frank answered sympathetically. "Hazel, Jason, and Piper are fine," he continued. "Jason's keeping them in the air above us. I came down here to look for you two, and luckily you're okay." As Frank spoke, their bubble finally reached the surface, and with a _pop_, the three demigods were sitting on an air cushion just on top of the water's surface. Annabeth was surprised to see the sun still up. They had only been underwater for a few minutes, but it had felt like an eternity.

"Hey!" a voice called from above. Annabeth looked up, shielded her eyes from the sun's bright glare, and saw Jason, Piper, and Hazel drifting towards them. They landed on the cushion, and everyone stood.

"Glad to see you guys are alright." Jason stated, his voice filled with relief. His eyes looked a bit unclear and foggy, like he was looking right through them. Annabeth glanced questionably at Piper for an answer.

"He hit his head on the mast." she deadpanned. "Hazel and I gave him some ambrosia, so he should be fine soon, _if _he stops hitting it."

"Hey!" he cried. "It's not my fault, go blame…oh." Jason trailed off and looked into the water a few hundred feet off, which had started to bubble.

Everyone turned to watch the _Argo II'_s tallest mast break through the ocean's surface, quickly followed by the rest of the ship. Annabeth could even see Festus spluttering on the bow as he creaked, but he looked okay.

The magical bubble, however, did not, because the serpent had also followed the boat into the air. The creature had its long, horrid body wrapped around the ship's bubble, squeezing it tight. Annabeth could finally see that the beast was a dark royal blue color as its scales flashed vibrantly in the afternoon sun. It's maw, which was similar to a beak, opened and spewed an inky liquid onto the bubble. The liquid started to disintegrate the ship's protection, and the bubble wasn't reforming.

"Is that poison?" Hazel asked in horror. Annabeth noticed that the liquid also dripped out of the spines on it's back.

"What's trying to protecting the ship?" Annabeth asked as they watched the serpent attack the bubble furiously, trying to quicken its destruction.

"We have to help!" Piper added anxiously as she drew Katoptris out of its sheath.

"That's what I was trying to tell you earlier," Frank said nervously as everyone's attention turned to him. "When I went underwater to find you guys I spoke to Percy...you know, as a shark." At this point Annabeth was straining in the effort of holding herself back from asking questions, but she kept quiet for Percy's sake.

"He made the bubble to save you guys," Frank continued, "and he's the one protecting the ship. But if the bubble's almost gone now, that means…" He didn't have to finish. Everyone was quiet for a few moments. Annabeth's thoughts were racing; she was so worried about Percy that her stomach hurt and she felt ill. She decided that worrying wasn't going to help him, so she quickly made the decision to come up with a plan instead, wishing that it would make up for her pathetic performance earlier.

"Jason, can you and Leo fly over to blast wormy? And Frank, can you take the three of us over to the ship to defend it?" she asked, hoping that no one would object.

"Sure, good strategy," Jason agreed as everyone else nodded, "come on Leo, let's go."

"Wait," Leo started, "how am I supposed to get over there? I can't exactly f-" but whatever he was going to say was cut off by his shout as Jason grabbed him around the shoulders and started flying towards the ship.

"Don't drop him!" Piper called. Annabeth could hear Leo cursing wildly as Jason laughed, but then their voices were lost in the wind.

"Okay," Frank said, clapping his hands together. His form slowly started to grow and lengthen until a fierce, charcoal-colored dragon stood next to Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth. Annabeth didn't think she'd ever get used to that. Dragon Frank snorted fire and tossed his head, signaling them to climb on his back.

"Nice," Piper said with a grin as they stepped forward.

"Are you sure you can take all three of us?" Hazel asked, concerned. Frank turned and gave Hazel a look, as if saying, "_puh-lease, I can do this in my sleep!"_

"Fine," she grumbled. "But if you drop us I'm going to send Arion after you."So, the three of them climbed up; Hazel in the front, hanging onto Dragon Frank's neck, Piper in the middle, and Annabeth on the back; and Frank lifted off, flapping his large wings to gain altitude, and started soaring towards the _Argo II._

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**Sorry for the cliffy D: Please review!**


	4. Chapter Four: Frank

Hi everyone :D First of all, thank you thank you thank you to the two hundred and forty-four visitors that have read chapters one through three of "Going Home"! The support is amazing! I hope you guys like this next chapter just as much!

Just wanted to recommend urqueenizhere's story "The Transfers"! If you love Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, then it's definitely worth reading!

**PLEASE READ AT THE BOTTOM FOR IMPORTANT INFO ON CHAPTER FIVE! :D**

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**Chapter Four: Frank**

Frank didn't exactly enjoy being a dragon taxi. He, of course, realized that making sure a giant serpent didn't eat his friends and destroy the _Argo II_ was a bit more important than his feelings, but still. As he, Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth landed on the ship, Frank almost wanted to ask for a couple of drachmas as a tip.

"Nice set of scales, man!" Jason shouted from above as Frank slowly phased back into human form. He could vaguely feel his bow on his back as he took a moment to catch his breath. Dragon-form was really tiring.

"Frank, duck!" Piper shouted from his right. He was still a little woozy, but was luckily good at following orders, so he hit the deck just as a five-ton serpent head flew over him and smashed into the main mast.

"Thanks!" he called back while getting to his feet. Now filled with adrenaline, Frank quickly took in his surroundings. The serpent's body was wrapped once, twice, three times around the ship, with half lying on the deck, and half below the water's surface. The magical bubble was completely gone, and the serpent was slowly crushing the _Argo II_.

However, the head and tail were what kept the demigods on their toes. They both lashed out separately; the head with fangs, and the tail with a sharp barb that was oozing what they had determined to be a poison. Annabeth and Piper were dueling with the serpent's tail, which was having a fun time punching holes through the deck. Leo, who was now standing in the crow's nest, and Jason, who was flying around, were distracting the head so Hazel could attack its body. Even Festus was helping by torching the serpent and snapping at him with his razor-sharp metal teeth.

"Die, gummy-worm!" Leo shouted as he chucked flaming balls of white fire at the serpent with one hand and frantically worked the _Argo II's_ portable controls with the other.

"Frank, can you talk to this thing?" Annabeth called as the tail sailed over her head and into the lowest mast with aloud_ CRACK. "_Maybe persuade it to leave us alone?" Frank paused.

"_What?" _he thought, confused. Annabeth seemed to hear his silent question.

"As a snake," she continued, "or a serpent of sorts?" Oh. That made more sense.

"_No need, son of Mars." _a low, slow voiced hissed into the air. Everyone stopped moving, and it was eerily quiet. The only sounds Frank could hear were the waves crashing on the ship's hull, and its wood creaking under the serpent's pressure.

"_I believe I am quite capable of speaking for myself", _the voice continued. Frank turned and saw that the beast was slowly eying each of the demigods in turn, and when its gaze flickered over him he shivered. The serpent made a deep humming noise that Frank thought might be laughter.

"_Demigods," _the beast murmured while slithering its head along the deck. Its tongue flickered in and out of its mouth as it spoke.

"_You all posses courage of likes I have not seen in decades_, _but your efforts are futile_." Frank puffed up in indignation.

"Who are you?" he shouted more confidently than he actually felt. "What's your name?" Hazel was staring at him like he had lost his mind, which, Frank thought, was possible.

The serpent turned its massive head towards Frank and studied him with one, large, platter-sized eye. Frank stood motionless, but he could see Hazel and Jason creeping up behind the beast out of the corner of his eye.

"_A name," _the serpent hissed, _"is not something I have, nor need."_

"No name?" Leo taunted from above in the crow's nest, as he leaned causally against the basket's edge. The serpent whipped its head up, ignoring Frank for the moment to look at Leo.

"Not important enough, eh?" he continued breezily. "We'll give you a name! How about, hmm…what do you think, Pipes?"

"Rank?" she suggested, holding her nose and waving the air in front of her face. "Seriously, when was the last time you took a bath?" Frank saw that they were trying to direct the serpent's attention away from Hazel and Jason, who now together held a large, Imperial-gold net between them. The serpent was too infuriated to notice. It was spitting wildly and swishing its tail erratically, and Leo winced when two of the _Argo II's_ oars were snapped off by it.

"_I am_ _stronger than any of your gods could ever hope to be!" _the beast roared furiously_. "Zeus **cowers** in my presence! Gaea did not __**dare**__ risk waking me in her attempt at resurrection. And you children dare offend me?" _The beast's tail slammed onto the deck, and cracks appeared where it landed. Its eyes were livid.

"_I have stayed quiet for centuries," _it continued in a soft hiss_, "as I let my weak cousin Apophis have his pitiful attempt in swallowing the sun-"_

"Ew." Piper muttered. Frank had to agree with her. He glanced over at Hazel and Jason, who were getting closer and closer to the serpent's head.

"Wait," Annabeth cut in. "You're related to Apophis, as in the evil Egyptian snake god?" The serpent continued as if it hadn't heard her, but it now had a maniacal look in its eyes.

"_And now that he is banished yet again, you ignorant demigods wish to conquer me? You believe the mere blessing of Poseidon's son could protect you? This was my domain long before his father even **existed**!" _

For a full beat, no one moved. In the silence, the scrape of the magical net against the deck could clearly be heard. The serpent whirled around towards where Jason and Hazel were crouched so quickly that Frank didn't even have the time to blink before they were sent flying overboard by the beast's tail, net and all.

"No!" Frank roared as he tried to rush towards the railing, but the serpent turned to look at him. Frank was seeing red, and was about to morph into a giant bear to claw the things face off, but Annabeth stopped him. He hadn't even noticed her, along with Piper, come over to him, but her hand now held him back from charging at the serpent.

"_Wait."_ her eyes pleaded. Frank could only guess how she kept her cool during this.

"Hey, Smelly!" Piper yelled to the serpent, her voice laced with charmspeak so powerful that Frank had to resist checking to see if he stank. He saw Leo sniffing his armpit above them.

"Turn this way!" she commanded. The serpent spun its head lazily towards her, its eyes filled with amusement.

"_Piper McLean," _it hissed,_ "your mother's magic won't work on me. I'm much-"_

"But it worked anyway, didn't it?" Annabeth deadpanned. The serpent's eyes narrowed as confusion fogged its brain.

"You're facing us now anyway," she continued, "so I guess you're not as strong as you thought, listening to weak demigods like us.

"_But-"_

"One of the oldest tricks in the book, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Leo added, shaking his head in mock pity.

"_I-"_

"You're not even that scary," Piper continued, "a little unnerving maybe, but that's just because of the smell.

"_You-"_

"I've seen garden snakes creepier than you," Frank persisted, feeling better about the situation by the second. The four demigods continued to verbally attack the serpent, and it slowly backed its head towards the railing in shame, until-

"_ENOUGH!"_ The sudden outburst surprised the demigods, and they fell silent. The serpent glared at each of them individually, until finally resting its eyes on Annabeth.

"_Clever, daughter of Athena." _the humming started up again. _"But stalling will do you no good. You lack a plan, and you know there's nothing you can do to stop me. I'll let you have the decision-would you and your friends prefer to sink along with your puny ship," _the serpent flickered its tongue greedily,_ "or will you help me appease my eternal hunger?" _Annabeth didn't respond, and no one moved.

"_Are the choices not satisfying enough, my dear?" _Frank could practically see laser beams shooting out of Annabeth's angry eyes at this point.

"_No matter," _the serpent continued, tightening its body around the _Argo II_, _"I'll just have to-MRGHF_!" A mouth full of water blasted from over the railing stopped the beast from continuing. Frank turned towards the water canon's source, but saw nothing.

"_What-" _the beast started, but was again effectively cut off by more water, this time from the other side of the ship. Frank couldn't help but smirk at the serpent's annoyance.

"_How DARE-"_ more water, this time from the stern.

"Still thirsty?" a familiar voice called from the bow. Frank turned to see Percy, looking a bit pale but quite alive, leaning against his sword with a cheeky grin on his face next to Festus, who was making happy whirring noises as Percy rubbed his nose. Frank was also relieved to see Hazel and Jason standing next to him, completely unharmed and dry. They were even still holding the net. Frank caught Hazel's eye and worriedly mouthed, _"Are you okay?"_ to her. She smiled and nodded back, _"I'm fine." _Frank saw Piper grin at Jason, and Annabeth looked positively giddy with relief at Percy's return. Leo fist-bumped the air and yelled, "Go team!" Everyone smiled at that, but the serpent's eyes narrowed.

"_I'm impressed, son of Poseidon," _it hissed_. "I expected Oceanus's minion to find you faster."_

"Oh, he found me all right," Percy admitted, twisting to show that the majority of the sides of his shirt were covered in nasty-looking claw marks. Frank didn't want to see the damage under them.

"Oceanus must be disappointed in you," Percy continued. "I think he was expecting me wrapped up in a pretty bow, delivered to his doorstep." Frank had the sudden mental image of Percy in a large, colorful holiday box with a ribbon tied to his head. The serpent grew still, and everyone tensed.

"_Well," _the beast drawled, _"I guess I'll just have to try again." _The serpent lunged.

* * *

**PLEASE READ:**

**I have not started Chapter Five yet because I'm not really sure where to go with this story, so I want you guys to choose! :D I will write the next chapter when at least TEN reviews with votes on the below ****scenarios**** are chosen, or your own ideas, are submitted! Whichever plot line has the most votes will determine what direction "Going Home" goes in! Only one vote per person to make it fair, so choose wisely! :D Not hard, right?**

**The results can be found on my profile :)**

**a) they all go home and live happily ever after**

**b) they get lost**

**c) character(s) go missing/are kidnapped**

**d) _Argo II_ is too damaged to continue, so they have to make a pit stop somewhere**

**e) challenge(s) in specific relationship(s)**

**f) another prophecy**

**g) character death (oh nuuu D:)**

**h) sickness/injury in character(s)**

**Any other ideas that you guys come up with are welcome! :D**


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